I put in a listing and just got a message back that the earliest I can schedule a call to review the property (before it will even list) isn't for two weeks...

You only need a weekend worth of open houses and then review offers on Monday.

Of course, you will have contractors who want to be paid prior to those tasks being fully completed - you then have to review with them what they omitted.

He is a licensed contractor with good reviews and referrals.The Owens Corning Platinum Roofing Contractor proposed $17.5k for the whole roof replacement with Owens Corning Duration material, 10 yr transferrable workmanship warranty, and transferrable Platinum protection limited warranty ( Lifetime of workmanship warranty with coverage reduced after 25 years based on the age of the roof).From an investor standpoint, what would add more value to the property?

The appraiser has to use 3 properties for his review and I can't find any others in the area that are similar. 

Big picture though I do think rates should increase next year, especially for established, well-reviewed properties.

Foundation is critical to review before doing anything else!

You should know from your research what the likely rents and expenses are, and reviewing the actuals will just confirm the numbers you already know. 

@Joshua PoitrasYour profile indicates that you are an agent, you likely want to work with a CPA who understands deductions available to real estate agents.MLS Access fees, E&O insurance, Home office, Mileage are some of the deductions available to agents.Below are some tips to find a Local CPA that specializes in real estate1) Attend a Local REIA / Real Estate meetup and see who other investors are using as a CPA2) Network with other investors from your City/State that you find on bigger pockets and see who they use as a CPA3) Look for CPA's with good google/yelp reviews where 'real estate' is mentioned in the review.4) Verify that your CPA is licensed.

Rave reviews.